Young Italians surviving strategies in the social and economic crisis

The paper intends to present some preliminary results of a research we are carrying out in Italy to investigate the impact of social transformations, spawned by the 2008 financial crisis, on young people and their working conditions. The research's main goal is to highlight, thanks to the methodological tools of sociology, not only the crisis' possible outcomes but also how social actors cope with the new situation adopting best practices. Specifically, we concentrate on the changes in the everyday life's routines, in the consumption practices, in the capability of viewing and planning the future, in the relational models adopted, in the emergence of newforms of identification and belonging. The main goal is to highlight paths, critical points, tactics and strategies adopted to cope with the economic crisis. The research will also point out the impact of the crisis on every day practices, on the methods of planning for the future, on the interpersonal relationships. The main research's hypotheses concern the influence of cultural capital on the different personal and family strategies. Cultural capital, gender and ethnicity seems to be the most relevant variables to understand differences and abilities to cope with this very difficult social and economic context. In-depth qualitative analysis has been carried out to enrich available quantitative statistical data , in order to identify possible ways to promote and support best practices able to reduce the negative effects of economic crisis, and to overcome it without weakening the social bonds and, at the same time, promote inclusive, innovative and secure societies. The research aims to provide an accurate description of the everyday practices used to adjust to the current economic crisis, thereby enriching the available quantitative data with in-depth qualitative data.